STUDIES ONPRODUCTION OFTHYMUS PLANT (Thymus vulgaris L. ) PART ONE. EFFECT OF FOLIAR SPRAY WITH NPK, MICRO NUTRIENTS AND AMINO ACIDS ON THE VEGETATIVE GROWTH AND VOLATILE OIL PERCENTAGE IN THE DRY HERB

This research was carried out at the Experimental  Farm of Agricultural and in the Laboratory of the Vegetable and Floriculture Department, Faculty  of Agriculture, Mansoura University during the two successive seasons 2014 and 2015 in order to investigate the effect of foliar spray with NPK, micro nutrients and amino acids on the vegetative growth and  volatile oil percentage of thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) plants.Treatments included three levels of each of NPK (20-20-20) alone, NPK+ micronutrients andNPK + micronutrients + amino acids, and untreated control.  One year old plants in 30 cm plastic pots were cut to 5 cm from the soil surface and sprayed 5 times ( at 15 days intervals) with NPK (20-20-20) solution at low, medium, and high levels(175, 350, 700 mg/L).  In addition other plants were sprayed at three levels with Low, medium and high (50, 100, and 200 mg/L)concentrations with each of Disper complex fertilizer (micronutrients)andAmino mineral fertilizer (NPK + micronutrient + amino acids) solution.   NPK (20-20-20) fertilizer concentrations were added separately to Disper complex treatments, so that each 50 mg contained 175 mg/L NPK, each 100 mg/L contained 350mg/L NPK, and the 200mg/L contained 700 mg/L NPK (20-20-20). The control (non-fertilized) plants were sprayed with water only.  Data were studied on vegetative growth parameters and volatile  oil percentage in the dry herb after the last spray by 15 days.  The results showed that all fertilizer treatments improved vegetative growth and oil percentage compared with the control.  The high level of fertilizers resulted in taller plants, more herb fresh and dry weight, more number of branches per plant, and more oil percentage compared with the other two levels. The high level of Amino mineral (200 mg/L) and Disper complex (200mg/L + 700 mg/L NPK) produced taller plants than the high level of NPK treatment (700 mg/L).  The high level of Amino mineral treatment  (200 mg/L) produced the tallest plants, highest herb fresh and dry weight, and number of branches per plant in addition to volatile  oil percentage in the dry herb.  In most cases, the high level of Disper complex treatment ranked second after the high level of Amino mineral Treatment.  These results indicated the importance of using microelements plus amino acids to increase growth and essential oil percentage of Thyme plants.